Incandescent electric lamp.



w. w. D. KNIGHT & H. E. CLERK.

INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMP.

APPLICATIGN FELED OCT. 17, 1914.

Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS W. W. D. KNIGHT & H. E. CLERK. INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 17. m4.

1 ,277,% Patented Sept. 3, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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, I\'IE$ES V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. WALTER W. D. KNIGHT, OF HAMMERSMITH, LONDON, AND HERBERT E. CLERK, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

INCANDESGENT ELECTRIC LAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

Application filed October 17, 1914. Serial 1 To. 867,219.

To all whom z't may concern:

. Be it known that we, WALTER WILLIAM- ing circuits of incandescent electric lamps.

he object of the present, invention is provide an improved base for coupling up mcandescent lamps.

The invention consists broadly in arranging the wiring circuits of a lighting installation so that by suitably arranging the 0011- ductors, and the plugs connecting them to the mains, the incandescent lamps may be run either in series or in parallel.

The invention also consists in a base for supporting incandescent electric lamps, comprising a body portion of insulating material, having three or more channels adapted to contain conductors extending along the length of the base, with'cut away portions of the insulating material adapted to allow crqssing over of two or more of such conductors at intervals, means being provlded for attachlng connections from the conductors to the lamps, with suitable means for holding the lamps in a cover fixed to the body portion.

The invention is particularly applicable to those cases where for purposesof words'igns, a series of lamps forming the alphabet are required to be connected up to spell different words. In such arrangements,.it is necessary to provide that words can be broken up and re-spelt at the desire of the 7 user, and it is necessary that the wiring grouping of lamps should bejmaintained, in order to prevent certain of the lamps being overrun. For instance, if with one arrangement of letters or other signs, the lamps are arranged to burn in series in pairs, then when the words are broken up and re-spelt, some of the letters will necessarily be transposed, and the bases have to be made suitable for the changedcondition, in order to preserve the series running. It is for this purpose that the form of wiring described, and the detachable connecting pegs, are particularly useful, as it enables the bases to be readily arranged in any desired order. v

In connection with advertising, the system described allows of one form of base and one form of lamp being used on circuits of diflerent voltage, as it is possible to so arrange that the lamps shall be burned in suitable grouping or in parallel, as the case may require. There is thus no need to carry a large stock of different bases and lamps to suit different purposes.

Referring to the accompanying draw- 1ngs Figure 1 is a diagram, showing in dotted lines a number of connected bases, the wiring being such that the lamps are in parallel.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the wiring when the lamps are in series in parallel.

Fig. 3is a plan of one of the bases, the cover carrying the lamp being removed.

Fig. 4 shows a modified form of wiring where three conductors are used.

Fig. 5 shows the type of base suitable for the wiring shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 shows a type of plug for connecting to the mains.

' Fig. 7 is a wiring diagram in an arrangement where four conductors are used.

Fig. 8 is a plan of the channel portion .Of a base for the four-wire system.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a complete base with the lamp in position.

- In carrying the invention into efl'ect, according to the form illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, three conductors, a, b, 0, are providcd ly ng in ch nnel in each base d.

One conductor Z) lies in the central channel, and the other conductors, a, 0, lie for half their length on one side, and for half their length on the other side, crossing over at the middle of the base. A suitable insulation is provided at the cross over point to prevent leakage. The base is conveniently formed of porcelain or other suitable non conductor.

At one end of each base the conductors terminate in clips indicated in dotted lines on the right hand side formed by strips of conducting material 1, 2, 3, held by rivets a, 5, 6, and at the other end suitable projections 7, 8, 9, are attached to the conductors by rivets 10, 11, these projections being adapted to engage in the sockets of the adjacent base and so form a connection between the conductors in adjacent bases. A suitable cover it is provided for each base held to the channel portion of the base by any suitable means, and having in its upper side at is a screwed socket of the well known type suitable for holding the lamp 6 as shown at Fig. 9. The position of the socket along the length of the base will vary according to the particular design of the lamp for which the base is intended.

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a number of bases similar to that shown in Fig. 3, with wiring arranged so that the lamps are 4 all in parallel.

Fig. 2 shows the wiring arrangement in which pairs of lamps in series are placed in parallel.

It will be seen that in Fig. l the bases are assembled by engaging the projecting conductors of one base in the sockets of the next, the two outside conductors at one end of the line 01-0 being short-circuited, and connected to one of the mains, While the central conductor 6 is connected to the other main. All lamps have thus one of their terminals on the central conductor, and their. other terminals alternately on the other conductors; but as both these are joined to a common main, all the lamps are in parallel. When connecting the same bases for series running of the lamps, the connection of the central conductor between adjacent bases would be broken at every alternate section, and the mains would be connected to the two outside conductors a-c. As illustrated, a connection is made in the conductor 5 between the bases l-2, the connection being broken in the conductor bb between the bases 28, and again made between the bases and so on along the line.

It will be seen that in this arrangement one pole of each lamp of the series is connected to the central conductor 6. The second pole of the first lamp is connected to the outside conductor a, and the second pole of the second lamp is connected to the conductor c, which has crossed over to the other side of the conductor Z) in the first base 1. The two lamps e/" are thus in series across the mains. For this disposition of the lamps the conductor 6 would be broken between the bases 23. Suitable end plugs are provided, as shown in Fig. 6. The plug, as shown in Fig. 6, is suitable for series running, and the plug shown in Fig. 7 for parallel running.

In the form of the invention shown diagrammatically in Fig. 4, the continuous conductor a lies in a channel on one side of the plug, while the conductors b and 0 cross each other in successive plugs. F i 5 is a plan showing the form of base use in this arrangement.

The conductors may be in the formpf strips of brass, and the base provided with a cap of porcelain or other suitable material, such as illustrated in Fig. 9.

The tongue 8 of the central conductor may if desired as shown at Fig. 3 be arranged with a slotted portion 15, held by a screw or bolt 16, so that when used for series running, the bolt may be loosened and the tongue pressed back into the block to prevent continuity of the central conductor.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, three conductors are employed. It may, however, be desirable to employ four conductors as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a number of bases having four conductors; while Fig. 8 is a plan, showing one of the bases employed. In this case, the conductors which at one end of the base form outside conductors, at the other end are brought in and lie in the inner channels of the base. For connecting up the bases to the main, suitable plugs as shown in Fig. 6 are provided, containing three or four grooves as required, with conductingstrips having terminals such as g, which can be short-circuited or connected to the mains as required, and sockets formed by strips 1, 2, 3, at one end as described with reference to Fig. 3.

aving now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 2- 1. In a lighting installation, a lamp holder comprising an insulated base, a cover piece, three or more channels in said base, conductors in said channels, cross-over connections between two or more of said channels and means for holding a lamp in said cover piece as set forth.

2. A lamp base comprising in combination,

an insulating channel portion, three or more channels in said portion, conductors lying in said channels, two or more of said conductors crossing from one channel to another, projecting contacts in said channels at one end of said base, and sockets comprising strips of conducting material held names to this specification in the presence by rivets in said channels at the other end of two subscribing witnesses.

of said base, a cover piece, a means for hold- W. W. D. KNIGHT.

ing a lamp in said cover piece, and connec- HERBERT E. CLERK. 5 tions between said lamp socket and said Witnesses:

conductors as set forth. P. A. OUTHWAITE,

In testimony whereof we have signed our H. D. JAmsoN. 

